Divine Office Office of Readings

Feb 27, Invitatory for Friday of the 1st week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Antiphon: 1043 Psalm: 1126 Christian Prayer: Antiphon: 687 Psalm: 728 Lord, open my lips. —And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Psalm 24 The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all its peoples. It is he who set it on the seas; on the waters he made it firm. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things, who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. He shall receive blessings from the Lord and reward from the God who saves him. Such are the men who seek him, seek the face of the God of Jacob. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Who is the king of glory? The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, the Lord, the valiant in war. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Who is he, the king of glory? He, the Lord of armies, he is the king of glory. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Feb 28, Invitatory for Saturday of the 1st week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Antiphon: 1043 Psalm: 1044 Christian Prayer: Antiphon: 687 Psalm: 688 Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Psalm 95 Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us. Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. The Lord is God, the mighty God, the great king over all the gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the highest mountains as well He made the sea; it belongs to him, the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Come, then, let us bow down and worship, bending the knee before the Lord, our maker, For he is our God and we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness, when at Meriba and Massah they challenged me and provoked me, Although they had seen all of my works. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Forty years I endured that generation. I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways. So I swore in my anger, “They shall not enter into my rest.” Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever, Amen Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Feb 28, Office of Readings for Saturday of the 1st week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1045 Proper of Seasons: 137 Psalter: Saturday, Week I, 1194 Office of Readings for Saturday of the First Week of Lent God, come to my assistance. — Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. HYMN Ave Maria, gratia plena Dominus tecum Benedicta tu in mulieribus Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus Sancta Maria, Mater Dei Ora pro nobis peccatoribus Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae Amen. English Translation: Hail Mary, full of grace The Lord is with thee Blessed are thou among women Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus Holy Mary, Mother of God Pray for us sinners Now, and at the hour of our death Amen. 𝄞"Ave Maria" by Gretchen Harris [http://www.gretchen-harris.com] • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/Ave-Maria-CHANT-Mode-I-DivOfcOrg-C-orig.pdf] • Title: Ave Maria (Chant); Album: Sing of Mary; Music; Plainsong mode I; vocal: Gretchen Harris; Used with permission; Visit and thank Gretch at http://www.gretchen-harris.com; PSALMODY Ant. 1 Sing praise to the Lord; remember the wonders he has wrought. Psalm 105 The Lord is faithful to his promises The apostles proclaim to the nations the wonders which God wrought when he came among us (Saint Athanasius). I Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. O sing to him, sing his praise; tell all his wonderful works! Be proud of his holy name, let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, the judgments he spoke. O children of Abraham, his servant, O sons of the Jacob he chose. He, the Lord, is our God: his judgments prevail in all the earth. He remembers his covenant for ever, his promise for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it for Jacob as a law, for Israel as a covenant for ever. He said: “I am giving you a land, Canaan, your appointed heritage.” When they were few in number, a handful of strangers in the land, when they wandered from country to country and from one kingdom and nation to another, he allowed no one to oppress them; he admonished kings on their account: “Do not touch those I have anointed; do no harm to any of my prophets.” Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Sing praise to the Lord; remember the wonders he has wrought. Ant. 2 The Lord did not abandon the good man who was sold into slavery, but freed him from the power of sinners. II But he called down a famine on the land; he broke the staff that supported them. He had sent a man before them. Joseph, sold as a slave. His feet were put in chains, his neck was bound with iron, until what he said came to pass and the word of the Lord proved him true. Then the king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free, making him master of his house and ruler of all he possessed, to instruct his princes as he pleased and to teach his elders wisdom. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. The Lord did not abandon the good man who was sold into slavery, but freed him from the power of sinners. Ant. 3 The Lord was true to his sacred promise; he led his people to freedom and joy. III So Israel came into Egypt, Jacob lived in the country of Ham. He gave his people increase; he made them stronger than their foes whose hearts he turned to hate his people and to deal deceitfully with his servants. Then he sent Moses his servant and Aaron the man he had chosen. Through them he showed his marvels and his wonders in the country of Ham. He sent darkness, and dark was made but Egypt resisted his words. He turned the waters into blood and caused their fish to die. Their land was alive with frogs, even in the halls of their kings. He spoke; the dog-fly came and gnats covered the land. He sent hail-stones in place of the rain and struck flashing fire in their land. He struck their vines and fig trees; he shattered the trees through their land. He spoke; the locusts came, young locusts, too many to be counted. They ate up every blade in the land; they ate up all the fruit of their fields. He struck all the first-born in their land, the finest flower of their sons. He led out Israel with silver and gold. In his tribes were none who fell behind. Egypt rejoiced when they left for dread had fallen upon them. He spread a cloud as a screen and fire to give light in the darkness. When they asked for food he sent quails; he filled them with bread from heaven. He pierced the rock to give them water; it gushed forth in the desert like a river. For he remembered his holy word, which he gave to Abraham his servant. So he brought out his people with joy, his chosen ones with shouts of rejoicing. And he gave them the land of the nations. They took the fruit of other men’s toil, that thus they might keep his precepts, that thus they might observe his laws. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer Abraham, Joseph and Moses prefigured your plan, Father, to redeem mankind from slavery and to lead them into the land of promise. Through the death and resurrection of your Son, your Church fulfills these promises. Grant us living water from the rock and bread from heaven, that we may survive our desert pilgrimage and thank you eternally for your kindness. Ant. The Lord was true to his sacred promise; he led his people to freedom and joy. Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church. The man of God welcomes the light. — So that all may see that his deeds are true. READINGS First reading From the book of Exodus 12:37-49; 13:11-16 The Hebrews depart. The law of the Passover and of the firstborn The Israelites set out from Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting the children. A crowd of mixed ancestry also went up with them, besides their livestock, very numerous flocks and herds. Since the dough they had brought out of Egypt was not leavened, they baked it into unleavened loaves. They had been rushed out of Egypt and had no opportunity even to prepare food for the journey. The time the Israelites had stayed in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. At the end of four hundred and thirty years, all the hosts of the Lord left the land of Egypt on this very date. This was a night of vigil for the Lord, as he led them out of the land of Egypt; so on this same night all the Israelites must keep a vigil for the Lord throughout their generations. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover. No foreigner may partake of it. However, any slave who has been bought for money may partake of it, provided you have first circumcised him. But no transient alien or hired servant may partake of it. It must be eaten in one and the same house; you may not take any of its flesh outside the house. You shall not break any of its bones. The whole community of Israel must keep this feast. If any aliens living among you wish to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, all the males among them must first be circumcised, and then they may join in its observance just like the natives. But no man who is uncircumcised may partake of it. The law shall be the same for the resident alien as for the native.” “When the Lord, your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, which he swore to you and your fathers he would give you, you shall dedicate to the Lord every son that opens the womb; and all the male firstlings of your animals shall belong to the Lord. Every first-born of an ass you shall redeem with a sheep. If you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. Every first-born son you must redeem. “If your son should ask you later on, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall tell him, ‘With a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, that place of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every first-born in the land of Egypt, every first-born of man and of beast. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord everything of the male sex that opens the womb, and why I redeem every first-born of my sons.’ Let this, then, be as a sign on your hand and as a pendant on your forehead: with a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” RESPONSORY Luke 2:22, 23, 24 The parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, — because the law of the Lord prescribed that every firstborn male had to be consecrated to him. They offered to the Lord on his behalf a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. — Because the law of the Lord prescribed that every firstborn male had to be consecrated to him. Second reading From the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world of the Second Vatican Council Man’s deeper questionings The world of today reveals itself as at once powerful and weak, capable of achieving the best or the worst. There lies open before it the way to freedom or slavery, progress or regression, brotherhood or hatred. In addition, man is becoming aware that it is for himself to give the right direction to forces that he himself has awakened, forces that can be his master or his servant. He therefore puts questions to himself. The tensions disturbing the world of today are in fact related to a more fundamental tension rooted in the human heart. In man himself many elements are in conflict with each other. On one side, he has experience of his many limitations as a creature. On the other, he knows that there is no limit to his aspirations, and that he is called to a higher kind of life. Many things compete for his attention, but he is always compelled to make a choice among them. and to renounce some. What is more, in his weakness and sinfulness he often does what he does not want to do, and fails to do what he would like to do. In consequence, he suffers from a conflict within himself, and this in turn gives rise to so many great tensions in society. Very many people, infected as they are with a materialistic way of life, cannot see this dramatic state of affairs in all its clarity, or at least are prevented from giving thought to it because of the unhappiness that they themselves experience. Many think that they can find peace in the different philosophies that are proposed. Some look for complete and genuine liberation for man from man’s efforts alone. They are convinced that the coming kingdom of man on earth will satisfy all the desires of his heart. There are those who despair of finding any meaning in life: they commend the boldness of those who deny all significance to human existence in itself, and seek to impose a total meaning on it only from within themselves. But in the face of the way the world is developing today, there is an ever increasing number of people who are asking the most fundamental questions or are seeing them with a keener awareness: What is man? What is the meaning of pain, of evil, of death, which still persist in spite of such great progress? What is the use of those successes, achieved at such a cost? What can man contribute to society, what can he expect from society? What will come after this life on earth? The Church believes that Christ died and rose for all, and can give man light and strength through his Spirit to fulfill his highest calling; his is the only name under heaven in which men can be saved. So too the Church believes that the center and goal of all human history is found in her Lord and Master. The Church also affirms that underlying all changes there are many things that do not change; they have their ultimate foundation in Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and for ever. RESPONSORY 1 Corinthians 15:55-56, 57; Lamentations 3:25 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? It is sin that gives death its sting. — But thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is good to those who trust him, to all who search for him. — But thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. CONCLUDING PRAYER Turn our hearts to you, eternal Father, and grant that, seeking always the one thing necessary and carrying out works of charity, we may be dedicated to your worship. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Mar 01, Invitatory for Sunday of the 2nd week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Antiphon: 1043 Psalm: 1044 Christian Prayer: Antiphon: 687 Psalm: 688 Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Psalm 95 Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us. Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. The Lord is God, the mighty God, the great king over all the gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the highest mountains as well He made the sea; it belongs to him, the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Come, then, let us bow down and worship, bending the knee before the Lord, our maker, For he is our God and we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness, when at Meriba and Massah they challenged me and provoked me, Although they had seen all of my works. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Forty years I endured that generation. I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways. So I swore in my anger, “They shall not enter into my rest.” Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Mar 01, Office of Readings for Sunday of the 2nd week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1045 Proper of Seasons: 147 Psalter: Sunday, Week II, 1213 Office of Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent God, come to my assistance. — Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. HYMN On this day, the first of days, God the Father's name we praise; Who, creation's Lord and spring, Did the world from darkness bring. On this day the eternal Son Over death his triumph won; On this day the Spirit came With his gifts of living flame. Father, who didst fashion man Godlike in thy loving plan, Fill us with that love divine, And conform our wills to thine. Word made flesh, all hail to thee! Thou from sin has set us free, And with thee we die and rise Unto God in sacrifice. Holy Spirit, you impart Gifts of love to every heart; Give us light and grace, we pray, Fill our hearts this holy day. God, the blessed Three in One, May thy holy will be done; In thy word our souls are free. And we rest this day with thee. 𝄞"On this day, the first of days" by Gabe Bouck, Rebecca Hincke • Title: On this day, the first of days; Words: From the Breviary of the Diocese of LeMans, 1748; translated by Henry W. Baker in 1861.; Music by Johann A. Freylinghausen (1704); Artists: Gabe Bouck and Rebecca Hincke; Recording (c) 2016 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office PSALMODY Ant. 1 Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe. Psalm 104 Hymn to God the Creator To be in Christ means being a completely new creature. Everything of the old is gone, now everything is made anew (2 Corinthians 5:17). I Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord God, how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory, wrapped in light as in a robe! You stretch out the heavens like a tent. Above the rains you build your dwelling. You make the clouds your chariot, and walk on the wings of the wind; you make the winds your messengers and flashing fire your servants. You founded the earth on its base, to stand firm from age to age. You wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak: the waters stood higher than the mountains. At your threat they took to flight; at the voice of your thunder they fled. They rose over the mountains and flowed down to the place which you had appointed. You set the limits they might not pass lest they return to cover the earth. You make springs gush forth in the valleys: they flow in between the hills. They give drink to all the beasts of the field; the wild-asses quench their thirst. On their banks dwell the birds of heaven; from the branches they sing their song. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe. Ant. 2 The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts. II From your dwelling you water the hills; earth drinks its fill of your gift. You make the grass grow for the cattle and the plants to serve man’s needs, that he may bring forth bread from the earth and wine to cheer man’s heart; oil, to make him glad and bread to strengthen man’s heart. The trees of the Lord drink their fill, the cedars he planted on Lebanon; there the birds build their nests: on the tree-top the stork has her home. The goats find a home on the mountains and rabbits hide in the rocks. You made the moon to mark the months; the sun knows the time for its setting. When you spread the darkness it is night and all the beasts of the forest creep forth. The young lions roar for their prey and ask their food from God. At the rising of the sun they steal away and go to rest in their dens. Man goes forth to his work, to labor till evening falls. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts. Ant. 3 The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good. III How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches. There is the sea, vast and wide, with its moving swarms past counting, living things great and small. The ships are moving there and the monsters you made to play with. All of these look to you to give them their food in due season. You give it, they gather it up: you open your hand, they have their fill. You hide your face, they are dismayed; you take back your spirit, they die, returning to the dust from which they came. You send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord last forever! May the Lord rejoice in his works! He looks on the earth and it trembles; the mountains send forth smoke at his touch. I will sing to the Lord all my life, make music to my God while I live. May my thoughts be pleasing to him. I find my joy in the Lord. Let sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked exist no more. Bless the Lord, my soul. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer Father, as you made springs in valleys to form streams between mountains, so you made living streams of grace flow from the Apostles that their teaching may bring salvation to all the nations. May we have a practical knowledge of their doctrine, be obedient to their commands, obtain remission of our sins through their prayers, and finally receive the reward of eternal happiness. Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good. Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church. The voice of the Father was heard from the cloud. — This is my beloved Son; listen to him. READINGS First reading From the book of Exodus 13:17—14:9 The crossing of the Red Sea When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the Philistines’ land, though this was the nearest; for he thought, should the people see that they would have to fight, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. Instead, he rerouted them toward the Red Sea by way of the desert road. In battle array the Israelites marched out of Egypt. Moses also took Joseph’s bones along, for Joseph had made the Israelites swear solemnly that, when God should come to them, they would carry his bones away with them. Setting out from Succoth, they camped at Etham near the edge of the desert. The Lord preceded them, in the daytime by means of a column of cloud to show them the way, and at night by means of a column of fire to give them light. Thus they could travel both day and night. Neither the column of cloud by day nor the column of fire by night ever left its place in front of the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn about and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, just opposite, by the sea. Pharaoh will then say, ‘The Israelites are wandering about aimlessly in the land. The desert has closed in on them.’ Thus will I make Pharaoh so obstinate that he will pursue them. Thus will I receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” This the Israelites did. When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them. “What have we done!” they exclaimed. “Why, we have released Israel from our service!” So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiers—six hundred first-class chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all. So obstinate had the Lord made Pharaoh that he pursued the Israelites even while they were marching away in triumph. The Egyptians, then, pursued them; Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. RESPONSORY Psalm 114:1, 2; Exodus 13:21 When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a foreign land, — Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his domain. The Lord went before them in a pillar of cloud to show them the way. — Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his domain. Second reading From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ The Lord reveals his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses. His body is like that of the rest of mankind, but he makes it shine with such splendor that his face becomes like the sun in glory, and his garments as white as snow. The great reason for this transfiguration was to remove the scandal of the cross from the hearts of his disciples, and to prevent the humiliation of his voluntary suffering from disturbing the faith of those who had witnessed the surpassing glory that lay concealed. With no less forethought he was also providing a firm foundation for the hope of holy Church. The whole body of Christ was to understand the kind of transformation that it would receive as his gift. The members of that body were to look forward to a share in that glory which first blazed out in Christ their head. The Lord had himself spoken of this when he foretold the splendor of his coming: Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Saint Paul the apostle bore witness to this same truth when he said: I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not to be compared with the future glory that is to be revealed in us. In another place he says: You are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. This marvel of the transfiguration contains another lesson for the apostles, to strengthen them and lead them into the fullness of knowledge. Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, appeared with the Lord in conversation with him. This was in order to fulfill exactly, through the presence of these five men, the text which says: Before two or three witnesses every word is ratified. What word could be more firmly established, more securely based, than the word which is proclaimed by the trumpets of both old and new testaments, sounding in harmony, and by the utterances of ancient prophecy and the teaching of the Gospel, in full agreement with each other? The writings of the two testaments support each other. The radiance of the transfiguration reveals clearly and unmistakably the one who had been promised by signs foretelling him under the veils of mystery. As Saint John says: The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In him the promise made through the shadows of prophecy stands revealed, along with the full meaning of the precepts of the law. He is the one who teaches the truth of prophecy through his presence, and makes obedience to the commandments possible through grace. In the preaching of the holy Gospel all should receive a strengthening of their faith. No one should be ashamed of the cross of Christ, through which the world has been redeemed. No one should fear to suffer for the sake of justice; no one should lose confidence in the reward that has been promised. The way to rest is through toil, the way to life is through death. Christ has taken on himself the whole weakness of our lowly human nature. If then we are steadfast in our faith in him and in our love for him, we win the victory that he has won, we receive what he has promised. When it comes to obeying the commandments or enduring adversity, the words uttered by the Father should always echo in our ears: This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him. RESPONSORY Hebrews 12:22, 24, 25; Psalm 95:8 You have come to Jesus, mediator of the new covenant. Do not refuse to hear him. — If those who refused to listen to him warning them on earth did not escape punishment, much less shall we escape if we will not listen to one who warns from heaven. Today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. — If those who refused to listen to him warning them on earth did not escape punishment, much less shall we escape if we will not listen to one who warns from heaven. CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who have commanded us to listen to your beloved Son, be pleased, we pray, to nourish us inwardly by your word, that, with spiritual sight made pure, we may rejoice to behold your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.